how to react to what Bullies do

You might have forgotten about it. Or buried it. Or chosen to ignored it.

But you know it's there. At the back of your mind.

Something you'll deal with later.

Yet, while you wait, it keeps eating at you. Getting heavier, more difficult, and ugly.

Getting bullied in your childhood is a difficult experience that very fewdecide to face.

It's like there's a stigma attached to it. As though what happened during your childhood doesn't matter and grown-ups should just carry on as if nothing happened.

Yet, everything you think, do, and believe today, is as a result of what happened in your early years.

If something awful happened to you while growing up, there are two ways of looking at it.

It is either something that happened to you, or for you.

It's either an external, unfair event that left you worse off and something that you will grieve until the end of your days.

Or, it's something that you survived, made you stronger, and gave you the ability to help others.

It doesn't change the fact that it happened. What changes is your perception of it.

In this video, we asked volunteers to tell stories about a time in their life that they were picked on, pushed around, or bullied. We also asked them to think about what they would say to those people now.

What we didn't expect was to be taught an ancient lesson:

Nothing external has power over you without your reaction.

Whether you've talked to someone or not, this is your call to speak up and own your power.

Today, choose to be somebody who is thankful for the lessons they learned in dark times.

You are stronger now.

Tell your story with the hashtag #IAmStronger either in the comments section below, on your Facebook wall (if you're ready), or just share the video with somebody who needs to hear it.